Port Adelaide - Club in Crisis?

Andre

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#26
Will we still exist in 2011? Yes. As others have noted the AFL wants two clubs in SA and falling crowds or not, we are the best non-Crow option.

If we suddenly wrapped up tomorrow where would these theoretical 30k a week supporters supposedly out there come from? 5 double crow often like to pretend there's some mystical bunch of supporters who hate both Port and the Crows, don't want to support any of the other AFL clubs, yet are passionate about AFL footy and want to get along every week. :confused::rolleyes:

However thats distinct from the club is right now exactly where the SANFL want them - cash cow still on match day, yet not a threat to their precious golden child on-field. Unless Port somehow gets out from being under the control of the SANFL we are a good chance to head down the route of not being able/allowed to pay all the cap. Which as seen elsewhere is a cycle we don't want to get on - can't get/retain enough quality players, leading to lacklustre results on-field, leading to lack of cash, leading to still can't pay it and so on.

The AFL really needs to step in and help us by at the least diluting the SANFL ownership to less then 50%. We can't ever do what's best for the club when 50% of the board work for the major provider of services we require. Off-field football is business and what business not explicitly owned by another (as the crows effectively are by the SANFL) would in a blind fit put one board member up that has such a conflict of interest against them, let alone half the board?! :eek:

As Vlad comes across as disliking Port, he'll do the minimum to ensure we will survive and not risk us going under and him losing selling 8 games a week to tv networks. We aren't and won't ever be a major selling point in any rights deal, and that rather then a fair competition is what he cares about.

So I fully expect we are ****ed for years to come unless a White Knight rich supporter plans to rescue the club, ala Pratt at Carlton. Though if I was that rich (at least dreams are free), even though I love the club, the thought that anything I put in enriches Whicker and co. as much, if not more then it helps the club would be enough to put me off doing it anyway.
 

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Moderator #27
Look on the bright side. Did you know that the Chinese use the same word for "crisis" as they do for "opportunity"?

These sort of events can polarize people and bring them closer - this may be a blessing in disguise for us.
 

Macca19

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Moderator #28
Im not gonna lie, theres a part of me that does think we are in the shit in our financial situation and the fact that half our supporters have decided they cant be ****ed going to games anymore.

But honestly, we need to toughen up. We finished 9th, not that disastrous. Burgoyne is leaving, sure it hurts, but lets make it an opportunity to improve the list and fill some holes in the squad....turn it into a positive.

As for the crowd. For years I was told how loyal Port supporters are, we dig deep in tough times, are loyal, passionate, get behind the team. I was lucky in that I was at the age to get into footy for the first time in the late 80s. A hard time for me has been missing out on the GF. God forbid if we go on a Richmond/Freo type run. There will be noone there. To be honest, I never wanna hear how bloody passionate and loyal Port supporters are ever again. Its been shown to be bullshit. Two years outside the finals and half the crowd stays at home. The 17k for the last game still makes me feel sick.

The club needs to improve in a lot of areas for sure, but as a club weve gotten out of tough times before, lets put some faith in them to turn it around again.
 

PREDAT0R

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#30
That sort of defeatest attitude is more suited to the other pleb clubs.

In reality;

We had a slightly below par year - but to be honest who cares. It's first or nothing in my book, we were never going to win the flag so it's irrelevant.
We are losing one player - with the possibility of gaining others and potentially solving some of our on field issues
We have attendance issues - yeah, this is a hard one.

Nothing unsolvable. I have the utmost faith that the Port Adelaide FC's biggest strengths - tradition, solid football values and people power will not only see us move through this period but once again flourish.

If anything I have been impressed with how many of my off field issues have been addressed this year.

Glass half full people.
^ I'm with stoopid. ^
 

Andre

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#31
To be honest, I never wanna hear how bloody passionate and loyal Port supporters are ever again. Its been shown to be bullshit. Two years outside the finals and half the crowd stays at home. The 17k for the last game still makes me feel sick.
I've been to most games this year (a couple missed whilst interstate or family commitments), at least taking my eldest son along if no one else. I have to disagree strongly that our ladder position is the reason for our poor crowds. Our style of play - one that is as far from Port Adelaide as you could possibly get - and lurching from mistake to incident to idiocy and back again off-field repeatedly is what's driving away our supporters in droves.

Off-field footy is a business, but on-field it's meant to be simple. Players play their guts out for the club and in return the supporters will support them through thick and thin, whether they lose or win. When too many of our players have played like they think so little of the supporters that if they thought any less they'd go up to the boundary fence and piss on them I can't blame any of our supporters who haven't turned up.

The players aren't our family, we don't have to pretend to get along with them at Christmas even if they dislike or ignore us, if they don't give a shit about us or the club, it's not our supporters who deserve a spray for the 'Well you don't give a ****, why should I?' attitude.

I've had platinum (or earlier season ticket/membership equivalents) every year since 97, bought for my wife since around 2000 and bought for my kids since born and will again next year, but that's in spite of the players (with a few notable exceptions), coaches and anyone at the club in general, not because of any of them. If there were tick-box options on membership renewals to donate all to the club with none going to the coaches or players I nominated I'd be ticking it in 0.001 seconds, but as there isn't I'll be renewing largely on the basis of hoping the club survives the current inept group so I can once again watch a PAFC team and club that resembles the club I started supporting close to 30 years ago as a small kid.
 

FishingRick04

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#32
Im not gonna lie, theres a part of me that does think we are in the shit in our financial situation and the fact that half our supporters have decided they cant be ****ed going to games anymore.

But honestly, we need to toughen up. We finished 9th, not that disastrous. Burgoyne is leaving, sure it hurts, but lets make it an opportunity to improve the list and fill some holes in the squad....turn it into a positive.

As for the crowd. For years I was told how loyal Port supporters are, we dig deep in tough times, are loyal, passionate, get behind the team. I was lucky in that I was at the age to get into footy for the first time in the late 80s. A hard time for me has been missing out on the GF. God forbid if we go on a Richmond/Freo type run. There will be noone there. To be honest, I never wanna hear how bloody passionate and loyal Port supporters are ever again. Its been shown to be bullshit. Two years outside the finals and half the crowd stays at home. The 17k for the last game still makes me feel sick.

The club needs to improve in a lot of areas for sure, but as a club weve gotten out of tough times before, lets put some faith in them to turn it around again.
We need stability, losing many assistants has hurt us. Clarkson used us and has bled us significantly, that was our biggest mistake.

Change of President, CEO, players, assistants, to me we look like a club being used a stepping stone for greater things.

We need a Brian Cook character, here for the long haul. Now the decisions have been made we need stability.
 

Steve Dore

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#33
Look on the bright side. Did you know that the Chinese use the same word for "crisis" as they do for "opportunity"? .....
The Japanese have the same word for "terrible" as they do for "terrific". It is all in the context. In the context of where our once great club is at the moment we are "terrible" and in "crisis" and I can't see anyone there with enough balls and old style Port Adelaide determination to back up Haysman and turn our current situation into a "terrific" "opportunity". :(

..... Two years outside the finals and half the crowd stays at home. The 17k for the last game still makes me feel sick. .....
As someone who was in the crowd that bitterly cold night I saw the club serve up the exact type of rubbish that is encouraging fans to stay home. At least I didn't have a three hour drive to get home. ;)

As I posted earlier in this thread, as supporters though we need to hang tough thru' the bad times.
 

Jabsy

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#34
Burgoyne is leaving, sure it hurts, but lets make it an opportunity to improve the list and fill some holes in the squad....turn it into a positive.

Yeah, by getting Salopek off the flank and into the guts. Or even Krakouer FFS.

It pains me horribly to watch these two talents where they are, instead of where they should be.
 

kozlowski

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#35
Not directed specifically at you, sorry.


Well our list for next year is already looking worse with Burgoyne leaving...
No one knows how we will perform next year, with or without Shaun. However I for one am optomistic about the future of our club. We have some really good younger players on which to build our future and with the recent emergence of D Stewart and Salts and with Trengove and Lobbe as well, our forward/ruck stocks are suddenly looking much better. There are also a number of good things happening off field, for those who bother to look, which will take our club forward. Withe the competetition likely for shauns services, it will more than lokely end upas a positive for our club as one of those clubs will be forced to trade to ensure they get him. For me the glass is definitely half full.
 

5um0F1

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#36
This morning when I saw the news about Shaun a wave of despair swept over me.
I could not believe another stab in the heart of out great club.
Then I started thinking about it.
F*#$ him and all other soft c@cks.

If he cannot play for us and give us 100% we don't need or want him.

Our playing group needs to *want* to be there, to *want* to pull on the guernsey every week and play their guts out.

Will it happen? I have no idea but cutting dead wood and letting the sooky la-las go is a great way to start.

Bring on next year I'll be back to watch again !!
 

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bringbackbucky

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Thread starter #37
I love defeatist attitudes. There's always an answer to any problem. Port Adelaide will work it out.
Name one thing in the past 12 months that our club has done to make you think that "Port Adelaide will work it out"?

Declare bankruptcy and give the licence to Centrals. We are a ruddy joke.
 

Pinepower

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#38
Name one thing in the past 12 months that our club has done to make you think that "Port Adelaide will work it out"?

Declare bankruptcy and give the licence to Centrals. We are a ruddy joke.
You are forgetting that the SANFL must have or should have known about the financial state of Port. Port have to submit the budget to them.

The SANFL have lost the plot more so than Port, they just did not want to acknowledge that they were bleeding Port.

I doubt whether the SANFL would have even come to the table to talk unless the AFL pushed them and then the rumours around town that the Crows were going to make a loss this year.

If Port end up broke then the SANFL are going to be so red faced it is not funny
 

morell

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#39
Give us a reason why things will get better next year?
Improvement in second tier players;

Chaplin
Pettigrew
Logan
Ebert

Injured first tier to have strong pre-season and are fit and firing all year;

C.Cornes
S.Salopek
D.Motlop

Young stars take the next step;

R.Gray
H.Hartlett
J.Westhoff
N.Krakouer

Close the gap between worst games and best games;

D.Rodan
D.Pearce

Step up to play a few games and show some signs;

J.Trengrove
J.Redden
M.Lobbe

Same consistency and approach to game as '09;

K.Cornes
D.Casissi
D.Brogan
W.Tredrea

If each player can do just that, we will play finals next year.

EDIT - and with the off field stuff, we are moving in the right direction. Correct me if I am wrong but I have read that our financial situation has dramatically improved. We are getting back to our roots. With some on field success and the continuation of our strategy I think attendances will improves in 2010.
 
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Moderator #41
Name one thing in the past 12 months that our club has done to make you think that "Port Adelaide will work it out"?

Declare bankruptcy and give the licence to Centrals. We are a ruddy joke.
I am royally pi$$ed with how things have been of late. But quit? **** you, NEVER!

Nothing is over til we say it's over.

Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?

[YOUTUBE]Q47bpOCTcaY[/YOUTUBE]
 
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#42
Name one thing in the past 12 months that our club has done to make you think that "Port Adelaide will work it out"?

Declare bankruptcy and give the licence to Centrals. We are a ruddy joke.
Yeah right , give it to a mob who average lower crowds than the Port Magpies despite playing in 9 straights GFs . We will survive and prosper !!!
 

bringbackbucky

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Thread starter #43
I am royally pi$$ed with how things have been of late. But quit? **** you, NEVER!

Nothing is over til we say it's over.

Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?
I'm not too sure we have an A-Bomb up our sleeves...

I've never been so disillusioned with our club and never have I been less confident of our ability to get out of it.

If we held our own licence I could see light at the end of the tunnel but as long as it is held by the SANFL we are screwed.

Reality...

17000 fans came to our last home game so it won't be the supporters that will save us. I was there but plenty of you aholes werent.

We have a board that wanted to sack the coach but couldn't quite work out how.

We have our self proclaimed 'best player' walk out less than 12 months after he was almost made captain.

We play at the worst stadium in Australia.

To me the glass is more than half empty with a big ruddy hole in the bottom of it. Fill it up as quickly as you like people but until you fix the hole it aint gonna fill!!!!!
 
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Moderator #44
I'm not too sure we have an A-Bomb up our sleeves...

I've never been so disillusioned with our club and never have I been less confident of our ability to get out of it.

If we held our own licence I could see light at the end of the tunnel but as long as it is held by the SANFL we are screwed.

Reality...

17000 fans came to our last home game so it won't be the supporters that will save us. I was there but plenty of you aholes werent.

We have a board that wanted to sack the coach but couldn't quite work out how.

We have our self proclaimed 'best player' walk out less than 12 months after he was almost made captain.

We play at the worst stadium in Australia.

To me the glass is more than half empty with a big ruddy hole in the bottom of it. Fill it up as quickly as you like people but until you fix the hole it aint gonna fill!!!!!

You complain about supporters not turning up to one game, but in the face of tough times, you want to curl up in a corner and die?

That's your prerogative, but don't you go sacrificing the club I - we - love because it's a bit too hard for you to take now.
 
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#46
Im not gonna lie, theres a part of me that does think we are in the shit in our financial situation and the fact that half our supporters have decided they cant be ****ed going to games anymore.

But honestly, we need to toughen up. We finished 9th, not that disastrous. Burgoyne is leaving, sure it hurts, but lets make it an opportunity to improve the list and fill some holes in the squad....turn it into a positive.

As for the crowd. For years I was told how loyal Port supporters are, we dig deep in tough times, are loyal, passionate, get behind the team. I was lucky in that I was at the age to get into footy for the first time in the late 80s. A hard time for me has been missing out on the GF. God forbid if we go on a Richmond/Freo type run. There will be noone there. To be honest, I never wanna hear how bloody passionate and loyal Port supporters are ever again. Its been shown to be bullshit. Two years outside the finals and half the crowd stays at home. The 17k for the last game still makes me feel sick.

The club needs to improve in a lot of areas for sure, but as a club weve gotten out of tough times before, lets put some faith in them to turn it around again.
You are right macca and i am glad i dont race horses with some of these guys ready to slit their wrists. Its a long drive home when you get beaten and quite expensive to. As we all know it is deemed (in breach) for a club to approach another clubs player manager at this stage of the season, BUT if it was to happen let me tell you port knows exactly who they want, Who needs to find a new home, and what Port needs to do to get points on the board and bums on seats. New structure, new game plan for 010 and the so called division at the club between the players is an upbeat media driven farce. Expect very few picks in the National, and a big trade week. The club will not put up with another season like this, nor will Chocco.
 

bringbackbucky

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Thread starter #47
You complain about supporters not turning up to one game, but in the face of tough times, you want to curl up in a corner and die?

That's your prerogative, but don't you go sacrificing the club I - we - love because it's a bit too hard for you to take now.
I'm not going to curl up in the corner and die. I am just suggesting that I feel the club is headed at warp speed in the wrong direction and that I have no confidence in the adminstration, board or SANFL to do anything to turn it around.

And clearly we don't have enough supporters that can truly make a difference.

I love everything the Port Adelaide football Club stands for. I don't see any of Port Adelaide in the 2009 bastardisation of our football club...
 

Portology

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#48
Of 'clubs in crisis' there's the club that gets no respect eg Richmond/Freo of years gone by, and there's the club trapped in circumstance which gets some respect by keeping up a level of on field competitiveness in spite of it all eg Kangaroos. There's near term crisis and long term crisis...FFS North have been going out of business for 80 years.

We look like the worst of both worlds ATM. Unstable AND uncompetitive, to which I'd add a special mention for our achievements in communicating Denial and Delusion.

Being competitive and honest is the only place to start. Aspects of the current game style make me want to throw up. Yet I'm still there each week I'll be there next year too. Please guys cut the crap out, have a go, if you screw something up open up and don't sound like you're making excuses. Coach, play and communicate with heart if not head for a while. May not get us closer to our next flag but will stop supporters drifting further away from believing in it. Get us to a point of on field stability.

We are also in permanent financial crisis. So the underdog in a two team town should always get 'enough' support to stay viable. Big %^*& deal. Long term we have to work an escape from the North Melbourne basket-case-small-club bracket the AAMI + SANFL sub license locks us into, or "We Exist To Make Up The Numbers". Moving to Adelaide oval is a start on the long road to control our off field stability and destiny.
 

FishingRick04

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#49
And clearly we don't have enough supporters that can truly make a difference.
But we do, we get 35 to 45k at footy park for finals.

It's just that some of our supporters are lazy and inept. Probably due to being spoilt in the 70's, 80's and 90's even the 2000's. So they don't know how to handle mediocirty.

Unfortuantely, most clubs will suffer this, even the great Collingwood missed two finals series in 04 and 05 didn't they?

It's a blight on our supporter group that too many people don't want to go and support the team because of soemthing they don't like eg the coach, a player, a journalist, it's all an excuse, foxtel just gives lazy supporters another excuse.

I was bored at every game this year I attended because of our game style, unless work or kids sport stopped me I still went.
 
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#50
Different game plan next year Rick. Chippy chippy football was attributed to a lack of forward targets. That wont happen next year as Port will find a few proven faces up forward to present. The game is slowly changing back to long kicks inside 50. The clubs are aware of it and will adjust to be competitive. You will find a shift to the old days of resting ruckmen in the forward line (well the ones that can take a grab anyway.)
 
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